Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
Encyclopedia
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is the speaker
of the Scottish Parliament
, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot
. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire organisation. Two Deputy Presiding Officers are elected to help fulfil the role. The office of the Presiding Officer is in Queensberry House
.
The first person to hold the position was Sir David Steel
, appointed in 1999.
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot
Exhaustive ballot
The exhaustive ballot is a voting system used to elect a single winner. Under the exhaustive ballot the elector simply casts a single vote for his or her favorite candidate. However if no candidate is supported by an overall majority of votes then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated...
. He or she also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament and as such is viewed as a figurehead for the entire organisation. Two Deputy Presiding Officers are elected to help fulfil the role. The office of the Presiding Officer is in Queensberry House
Queensberry House
Queensberry House is a 17th century Category A listed building in the Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland, incorporated into the Scottish Parliament complex. It contains the office of the Presiding Officer, two Deputy Presiding Officers, the Parliament's Chief Executive, and other staff.The mansion...
.
The first person to hold the position was Sir David Steel
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
, appointed in 1999.
List of presiding officers
| Name | Entered office | Left office | Former party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | David Steel David Steel David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats... |
12 May 1999 | 7 May 2003 | Liberal Democrats Scottish Liberal Democrats The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England... |
|
| 2. | George Reid George Reid (Scottish politician) George Newlands Reid, PC , is a Scottish politician. From February 1974 to 1979 he served as a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire. He was elected in 1999 as a Member of the newly established Scottish Parliament as a regional MSP for Mid Scotland and... |
7 May 2003 | 14 May 2007 | Scottish National Party Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.... |
|
| 3. | Alex Fergusson | 14 May 2007 | 11 May 2011 | Conservative | |
| 4. | Tricia Marwick | 11 May 2011 | incumbent | Scottish National Party Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.... |
List of Deputy Presiding Officers
- Patricia FergusonPatricia FergusonPatricia Josephine Ferguson is a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill, a seat which she has held since 1999.- Background :...
(1999–2001) - George Reid (1999–2003)
- Murray ToshMurray ToshMurray Tosh is a Scottish Conservative & Unionist politician, and former Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland Region...
(2001–2007) - Trish GodmanTrish GodmanPatricia "Trish" Godman is a misandrist and Scottish Labour politician. She was Member of the Scottish Parliament for West Renfrewshire constituency from the Scottish Parliament general election, 1999 until her retirement in 2011.Before entering the Scottish Parliament Godman was a Glasgow City...
(2003–2011) - Alasdair MorganAlasdair MorganAlasdair Neil Morgan is a Scottish politician. He was a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for the South of Scotland region from 2003 to 2011, having previously been first MP from 1997 to 2001 and then MSP from 1999 to 2003 for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale...
(2007–2011) - Elaine SmithElaine SmithElaine Smith is a Scottish Labour politician, and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Coatbridge and Chryston constituency since 1999....
(2011-present) - John ScottJohn Scott (Scottish politician)John Scott is a Scottish farmer and politician, and is a Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for Ayr.Born in Girvan, he has been MSP for Ayr since winning it in a by-election in 2000. He was returned in the 2003 parliamentary election and again, with an increased majority, in the 2007...
(2011-present)
See also
- Presidency of the old Scots Parliament (pre-1707):
- Monarch of Scotland
- Lord Chancellor of ScotlandLord Chancellor of ScotlandThe Lord Chancellor of Scotland was a Great Officer of State in pre-Union Scotland.Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal...
- Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of ScotlandLord High Commissioner to the Parliament of ScotlandThe Lord High Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland, sometimes referred to as the fifth estate of the Estates of Scotland, were the Scottish Sovereign's personal representative to the Parliament of Scotland following James VI of Scotland's accession to the throne of England and his becoming,...
- Presiding OfficerSpeaker (politics)The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
(disambiguation page) - Speaker (politics)Speaker (politics)The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
- Chairman
- Convener
- Moderator
- Preses